Particle image analyzers used to manage powder products, mainly fine ceramic particles, pigments, cosmetic powders and the like, are widely known (for example, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 5,721,433). This particle image analyzer encompasses a particle suspension flow with a sheath fluid using a sheath flow cell to convert the flow to a narrow or flat flow, and photographs the particle in the suspension flow to obtain a particle image that contains the image of a particle, so as to acquire information relating to the size and shape of the particle by executing predetermined image processes on the particle image. In general, since a large quantity of images of particles are contained in the particle image, it is desirable to increase the processing speed as much as possible in the particle image analyzer. Therefore, the particle image analyzer is provided with a special built-in image processing circuit board having an image processor (image processing circuit) capable of executing high-speed image processing.
Furthermore, the particle image analyzer is provided with a testing function for testing whether or not a frame memory is writable using the image processor, and testing whether or not the image processor is operating normally.
The previously mentioned conventional particle image analyzer, however, is provided with an image processor having a testing function, and this testing function is independent from the image processing function of the image processor, such that it is necessary to provide a special testing structure (hardware or software) such as a SCAN circuit, BIST (built-in self test) circuit and the like separately from the image processing hardware structure. Accordingly, in order to install the testing function it is necessary to design and develop testing hardware or software completely separately from the image processing hardware, thereby increasing number of development processes and number of design processes.